1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to drumsticks and, more particularly, to a unique wooden stick type drumstick with improved design and percussive characteristics.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art sticks there has been three types of stick type drumsticks. The brush type which typically produce sweeping sounds, the solid stick type which produce a much stronger focused sound and bundled rods which offer a quieter sound than that of the solid stick type. Solid type sticks were made of elongated round cylindrical solid wood members that were tapered near one end. This end typically was tapered to a ball-like bead which was used to beat on the drum. The distinguishing differences between models were generally the diameter, length and shape of the bead. The brush type generally used multiple long wires or nylon of very small diameters fastened to a handle. The bundled rod type used wood or synthetic rods banded together to form a stick to produce a sound between that of the solid stick type and the brush type.
The brush type drumsticks were usually made up of a plurality of metal filaments secured to a handle. One improved embodiment of a brush type drumstick is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,026. That invention involves the use of a plurality of elongated plastic strands which are arranged in a tight bundle which is fixed at one end as by molding or fusing to form a handle. The plastic strands are free to spread out at the other end to achieve the brush sound when used. That drumstick although an improvement over prior art brush sticks offers only limited use as a percussive stick owing to its basically soft and flexible nature.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,671, that patent provides certain unique playing characteristics suitable for certain applications. By means of this drumstick certain percussive resonance and tonal qualities are met. The drumstick of this invention includes a bundle, substantially straight wooden rods, which are preferably round hardwood rods such as dowels. The bundle is assembled and bound or banded tightly together, as by a rigid plastic tape. In this drumstick design a band is placed at a location relatively close to the playing or beating end. The rods at the handle end of the bundle are also retained tightly together. A sleeve or overlay retainer may then be applied over the drumstick at the opposite end to form the handle. The combination of the bundling of the rods as such yields a stick type drumstick, which has specific percussive strength, yet it is slightly flexible so that the combination including the interaction of the wooden rods among themselves when a drum is struck yields its tonal qualities.
Another drum stick design under U.S. Pat. No. 7,084,339 which is a patented design under this applicant's name utilizes a central foam core surrounded by multiple rods. These materials are held together in a round bundle using tape and shrink tubing. The playing characteristics include an increase bounce effect, the foam core aids in protecting the small outer rods at force of impact.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,728,958, the multi-dowel drumstick of this invention includes a sheath disposed around the dowels to protect the dowels from damage during use. In one embodiment, the sheath comprises strips made from an impact resistant polymer which add to the tonal qualities of the multi-dowel drumstick while protecting the dowels. Despite the designs approach to protecting the internal dowels from breaking during impact, this design does not provide or allow the percussionist the ability to play certain traditional drum strokes and techniques to achieve the desired sound expectations generally associated with these strokes.
It is with respect to U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,026, U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,671, U.S. Pat. No. 7,084,339 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,728,958 that this application and stick design has further enhanced and altered the physical properties and playing characteristics inherent of these particular patents and as a result is an improved drumstick design. Although somewhat similar in nature it combines a traditional solid drum stick design in the gripping area which is not a combination of fused, glued or taped rods to form a long handle or grip area. The traditional drum stick handle is lathed to a specified shape that includes in its shape, a pod with a widen bulb area, at the perpendicular horizontal end of the pod, a hole is drilled to hold the multiple rods which are inserted and glued into the hole creating a unique multi task drum stick which warrants its own need for patent consideration.